Anatomy of a Job-MSG-New York Rangers-DAY TWO

Posted on May 8, 2009 by George C. Hartman


WHILE I DID AN ALL-NIGHTER, the next morning the boys started laminating the panels. I ran into a couple of problems while printing. There was STILL some bit-mapping in the images and I had to take some of them back into Photoshop to resample. This is where it gets weird because if you oversample a low res image you are prone to some strange artfacts. Once again I was able to get away with it because of the density of the image and the power of the RIP. (Rasterized Image processor)
ANOTHER PROBLEM, the printing started banding (streaking) halfway through a print. Resolving this took alot of time. I had to clean and manitain the printer and then I had to slow down the printing process which really sucks for a rush job. But at this point we were way ahead of schedual!

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Anatomy of a Job-MSG-New York Rangers-DAY ONE

Posted on May 8, 2009 by George C. Hartman

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN is one block away but that didn’t matter. The artwork came late again. Designers have that trait. This was a big job with a tight deadline. There is a walkway bridge that leads from Penn Station to MSG and we will fill 14 blocked out panels on the wall with players from the New York Rangers. They wanted it printed, laminated, mounted and installed before their opening home day game on Thursday Oct. 4.

THE PANELS are huge: 56.75″ wide by 105.5″ tall. Theres also a smaller blocked off panel underneath: 56.75″x31.75″. Fourteen of them.

GRUNGE DESIGN is in. And it won’t go away. Grunge is distressed type and irregular splotches and splatters. It is everywhere, TV, billboards, magazines but it works. And it works really well with hockey. We didnt need to go over and do a survey to double check the measurments. We have done this job before. At first I didn’t like this years design, but the more I worked with it, the more I liked it. Simple design wins…..every single time.

IT WAS ADOBE INDESIGN documents with placed Photoshop files. At 1/4 scale everything lookks great. But a sectional test print at 100% threw a large wrench into production. And as sure as the the sky is blue the images were way too small in resolution for something as monsterous as 105 inches by 56 inches. The thing about this is: THE DESIGNER DOESNT CARE-we have to make it work. By doubling resolution in the image size window (in Photoshop) we came away with a final resolution of under 40 dpi (dot per inch). Although this doesnt sound good it works in large format because our RIP processes a final rasterized image that can print correctly without pixalated edges.

THE HP DESIGNJET 9000 (shown above) can make an image with a final res of 40 dpi look like it is 600 dpi!
THE RANGERS are all about the color blue. Madison Square Garden made it clear that with glossy lamination they wanted blue. We sent them proofs which they rejected as being “too purple” This happens alot with rich blues. By taking out a little magenta on the RIP-we finally got a nice solid blue. We hurridly sent them proofs because time was running out. Each panel would take over an hour to print and there were 14 of them!

MSG signed off on the proofs! I worked a continuous shift until 6am to get a solid jump on the printing.

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GCH DREAM #499 for September 29, 2007

Posted on May 8, 2009 by George C. Hartman

In this dream I was walking home from work very late at night on the streets of New York City. I had a nice shirt on but I was only wearing my underwear and no pants. They were “tighty whities”. The streets were deserted and windy. A large black Cadilac SUV pulled up along side of me. It was Tiki Barber. The power window rolled down, “Get in!” he yelled above the howling wind and dust.
TIKI: (smiling) I saw you had a Giants cap on.
ME: Is that why you picked me up?
TIKI: (smiling) No, you looked cold in your underwear.
ME: Tiki…..why did you retire from football?…..I mean damn you were doing so good!
TIKI: (smiling) Man, did you ever go to a REAL football game?
ME: Did I ever!
TIKI: (smiling) Dude, I know. I seen you up there every damn Sunday. That was a trick question.
ME: Oh.
TIKI: (smiling) Listen. It wasn’t all me ya know. I had FIVE offensive lineman weighing over 300 pounds plowing the way for me….well, I did have some damn good moves, incredible strenghth….and I did run like a deer….
ME: (Holding my hands up to the heat blowing vents) Tiki….you didn’t retire. YOU QUIT!
TIKI: (smiling) GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY CAR DUDE!

And then I woke up.
"Why did I quit the Giants one year before their finest historical year ever?

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Self Portrait for September 29, 2007

Posted on May 8, 2009 by George C. Hartman


I HAVE FOUND some creative friends through blogging. Someone said i should take my self-portrait at least once a month. Someone else said i should take it daily. Either way it is a record of me, an exploration of self. Sometimes i think that we are all so busy walking on the surface that we fail to see what is inside. We do self-portraits in moments that can never be captured again.

WE CAN CREATE them to be just what people want us to see. Secure. In control. Cool. Actually I took this photo as I was driving 60 miles an hour going north on the Garden State Parkway. Yeah, that’s really cool…..especially when I started to sway into the next lane.

MOST OF ALL, creating self-portrits is a discipline. Learning how to take the good with the bad and then doing it all over again. (if you survive!)

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“Beverly-everly”……….Entry for September 20, 2007

Posted on May 8, 2009 by George C. Hartman

OUR beautiful sister Beverly would have been 49 years old today. Some of us called her Beverly-everly…with all the different brother-sister…..sister-sister…brother-brother combinations that we can have……we all have our special combinations……one of mine was George-Beverly-everly. We had a very special relationship that went back very deep. I always wondered why she liked me so much…..or did she just make everyone feel that way? We always had special songs, sayings and memories together. Once, she wanted to take me to Nathan Hale school for show and tell.

I will never ever forget the time Barb called me at 2oclock in the morning one night and told me “It is time.”
“Yes, I know it is time Barb….the time is two o’ freakin clock in the morning….that’s what time it is!”
No, George, it is time for Beverly.
Oh.

Oh my God.

And my drive from Brick to Scotch Plains that early next morning was a blurr.
And when we walked into the nursing home….where Barb and George Poulo had spent so many hours with Beverly-everly….a nurse said with a smile,
“You just missed her!”
(Just missed her…..what did she walk out the back door again??)
When we walked into her room, she was still warm…..but I didn’t recognize her. Her body had been through so much the past few years. And Barb collapsed on my shoulder and cried and sobbed….and everthing was happening too fast for me. I didn’t even understand that she was dead. And once again….I couldn’t cry for someone I loved who had died.

I don’t want to remember Beverly that way. She will always be a perky, adventurous little girl with short brown hair…big big brown eyes….in pajammas…..waking me up on a wonderful Saturday morning to watch cartoons…..while everyone else slept. And she made me a bowl of cereal. And we are laughing and laughing at the stupid black and white cartoons…of mice chasing cats and crazy music….and…I just miss her so very much……Beverly-everly.

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good morning……..Entry for September 19, 2007

Posted on May 8, 2009 by George C. Hartman

Every morning when I wake up….my head….my thoughts….my mind….is screaming. Because I am an addict….a drunk…among other things. I should be a chain-smoker….or in jail…..or institutionalized. A retart…..like what I was called when I was young. I miss a good pain killer and a shot of whiskey first thing in the morning. F-it. F-it. F-life.

Here in New York…the bars are always open. The doors are wide open to let in the last of Summer breezes. I can hear music, women laughing, the sports on tv….when I walk by. Sometimes I walk by r e a l s l o w …and the atmosphere…..the dim neon lights…the sparkle of the stainless steel taps…and if I look close enough…deep into the darkness. I can see myself sitting there at the end of the bar….and into the depths of my eyes I see……the lonliest man in the world(somebodyStopThescreaming)

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The end of the world………Entry for August 31, 2007

Posted on May 8, 2009 by George C. Hartman

DO YOU REMEMBER when they dug the hole at the cemetary for mom? It had been 30 years since that hole was opened up for dad. Were you like me and did you peek into that deep dark hole? I saw water down there but I was looking for dads coffin. Really creepy, isnt it? So essentially dad is under water and mom is on top of him. It says in the bible that at the end of the world…all our earthly ashes will “rise up to reunite with our spirit”. That is even more creepy.

Did you know that there are 1,113 people from 9/11 six years ago where there is not ONE SINGLE MICROSCOPIC TRACE of them left. What happens to them at the end? Two years agao an Eagles fan was arrested for running across the field during a game spreading his mothers ashes as he ran. Apparently his mother was a big Eagles fan and this was her wish. At the end of the world will her ashes rise from the 20 yard line to meet her spirit?

SO NOW Carols ashes are next to Rebels in a box. In a small hole. That is what I want. I am extremely claustrophobic. I wonder what would happen if we mixed Carol and Rebels ashes together? In the end, would they mesh together into one spirit? A Careb perhaps. Maybe Rebels ashes would like it if we splashed a little of that whiskey in his box. At the end of the world roll call would he be a little tippsy?

HOW CONFUSED is God gonna be when Beverly and some dude with a cowboy hat and Atlanta Braves T shirt come out of moms coffin? I am so very frightened of the end of the world because it seems so near—technological advances are ridiculously swift….and knuckeheads own atomic weapons….I’m declining my invitation to doomesday and I hope my kids arent alive for it either.

THANK YOU Gary and Grant for bring Carol and Rebel together again.

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Please pray for……Entry for August 31, 2007

Posted on May 8, 2009 by George C. Hartman


An old friend of the family is not doing well. Please pray for him. Thank you.

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Dear Carol………Entry for August 31, 2007

Posted on May 8, 2009 by George C. Hartman

Dear Carol, I meant to tell you how many people showed up to witness your love, your friendship, your helpfulness, your humor, your hugs. It wasnt later until I realized that you were the last elder. The last link into our deep past. That sitdown talk that we promised each other with your photo album will never happen.
You should see Bella, Maddy and Britt grow…it is an amazing experience. I am so happy that you got to at least meet Becky. But this is the cycle of life….birth and death.
I am so sorry to tell you carol that I feel so powerless. I need more help to fullfill the wishes in your will. Either I am afraid to ask for it or I feel shunned. I hate to tell you this but Earl doesnt look so good…as Gary as told me. He lost allot of weight. He hangs up on me when I call. His son has come into the picture yelling and demanding. I can’t find some of your money. When the ladies bring him food he gives it to the dogs. Apparently a crackhead moved in with him. Your computer, golfcart and maybe some other things are missing. We never found your rings. I’m sorry you didnt wear them for the final goodbye. Your bills are piling up and not being paid. I did get a lawyer to help with that. I am afraid that we are in danger of losing the house. I worry about your pine trees….the yard isnt being taking care of.
Your children werent talking, accusing, ignoring and greed set in…fighting….all the things you didnt want.
I am very sad as I write this because you gave me the honor and privelage of fullfilling your final unselfish wishes and I am failing.

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Something to think about…..Entry for August 22, 2007

Posted on May 8, 2009 by George C. Hartman

As I drove to work today listen to my Joyce Meyers cd I thought about how the devil is taking over our family. We have been arguing and biting each other heads off since this Carol has died. Is this what she wants?? NO!! It the devil making us hate each other. Well Im not doing it and neither should you. If we don’t have anything nice to say don’t call and don’t e-mail. Wait a day or two and it will pass. Money is NOT the road to happiness, love is. The way to get over a augment is to tell that person you love them. I just want to give you all something to think about. DON’T LET THE DEVIL TEAR US APART that is not what GOD CAROL OR MOM want. I LOVE YOU ALL VERY VERY MUCH!!!!!!!

LOVE
Bonnie

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